Netas on Rahul row: 'He created a scene, showed he is the boss'

'The issue should be discussed privately'

Political circles in Delhi are still reeling from the aftershocks of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's dismissive comments about the United Progressive Alliance government's ordinance on tainted lawmakers.

Omar, whose party National Conference is part of the UPA, said Gandhi's remarks were an internal matter of the Congress but a meeting of the UPA Coordination Committee should be called to take all constituents into confidence and set right the "misunderstandings" regarding the ordinance.

"I would want the (Union) Cabinet to discuss it (ordinance) after Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) returns," said the chief minister.

Omar said misunderstandings have been created publicly about the ordinance and sought to discuss the issue "privately in a closed room".

'It's a healthy day for democracy'

Union minister Milind Deora today termed Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the controversial ordinance as "healthy for democracy" and said there was nothing wrong in accepting and rectifying an error.

"It's a healthy day for democracy in Congress, it's a healthy day for democracy in UPA government and it's a healthy day for democracy in India," Deora, Union minister of state for communication and IT, told reporters.

"We are also humans. In life there is nothing wrong in accepting and trying to rectify perhaps what would be called an error. There is nothing wrong, nobody should have an ego, people should be humble enough to accept and rectify an error. That's the nature and strength of democracy," he said.

'He wanted to show who the real boss is'

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Venkaiah Naidu said the "real intention" of the Congress vice-president was to "show the prime minister who the real boss is".

"The Supreme Court gave a judgment on the convicted netas on July 10. Even the review petition filed by the UPA government was rejected on September 4. For two months and 25 days, neither Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress Party has said anything against this move of the government," Naidu noted.

"The belated blistering attack on the ordinance is a well orchestrated political stunt to salvage the image of the party," Naidu said.

"I don't think any PM has suffered such humiliation. After this action of the Congress leadership, which undermined the authority of the prime minister, nobody will take him seriously in the future," he said.

'He created a scene to divert public attention'

Due to a "conclusion" that President Pranab Mukherjee might not give his assent to the ordinance on convicted lawmakers, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before the press "in a hurry" and created a scene to divert public attention, Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has claimed.

The Samajwadi Party leader alleged, "Rahul's call to tear and throw away the ordinance indicates that he had drawn up a conclusion that President's node to the controversial ordinance might not be obtained."

"Hence he (Rahul) appeared before the press in a hurry and created a scene to divert public attention in his favour by calling the ordinance nonsense," said Khan.